FROM LEFT: SteelAsia executive Sean Andre Sy, Gov. Gwen Garcia, Benjamin Yao, Buenvenido Dulce Jr. and Rafael Hidalgo

Gov. Gwen Garcia eyes the inclusion of rebars in the Sugbo Semento program of the Capitol. A rebar is a steel bar used in reinforced concrete and masonry structures to strengthen and hold the concrete in tension. On April 5, Gov. Gwen Garcia met with the executives of SteelAsia Manufacturing Corporation, led by chairman and CEO Benjamin Yao, for a possible partnership in order to realize the governor’s vision.

Sugbo Semento, which kicked off last March, is a revenue-generating initiative of the Capitol where it purchases cement in bulk directly from at least four cement manufacturers in the province without precluding other cement firms from joining in the future.

Private contractors who are undertaking Capitol-funded projects in Cebu are to purchase cement from the Capitol’s Sugbo Semento program, for a small profit margin.

“Let’s make it happen,” Yao said, as he welcomed the idea of the governor and expressed full support for the Capitol’s initiative.

The company would have to submit a price proposal to the Capitol for review, and then enter into an agreement to effect the inclusion of rebars in the Sugbo Semento program.

SteelAsia, one of the largest rebar manufacturers in the world, has seven manufacturing plants plants in the country, two of which are located in Cebu, namely in Compostela and Carcar City.

Its Compostela facility is its newest, largest, and most modern steel mill, with a production capacity of 1 million tons of rebar annually.

Steel Asia officials Sean Andre Sy, Rafael Hidalgo, and Bienvenido Dulce Jr. were among those who joined the governor in the meeting; as well as Provincial Engineer Hector Jamora and Provincial Legal Officer Donato Villa. | 𝐵𝐽𝑅 / 𝐽𝑀